


Contracting in the Light

by friedlieb_ferdinand_runge



Series: The Things We Rarely See [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 7x01, Conversations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Missing Scene, Penelope didn't get enough attention after Emily came back so i wrote a thing, garcia is an emotional lifeboat, it takes a village, spilling coffee doesn't always end badly, to be clear i liked the shirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 22:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17650979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friedlieb_ferdinand_runge/pseuds/friedlieb_ferdinand_runge
Summary: It was a stressful day already, the last thing Emily needed was a coffee stain the size of a grapefruit on her new, white, blouse.In other words, I can’t be the only who thought Emily’s shirt was a little out of character in 7x01 “It Takes a Village".





	Contracting in the Light

Emily’s hands were shaking, maybe from stress, maybe from lack of sleep, probably from the shrimp she had eaten the night before. She knew no one could really trust shrimp, but it was the only place delivering so late and it was either that or go out and there was no way Emily was going to brave the streets of downtown DC right after a red eye flight. No. Way.

 

She bounced her leg as she looked around the BAU, anxiously waiting for Hotch to pick her up. She told him she didn’t need him to, to no avail, this was Hotch after all. Emily also suspected he wanted to take the chance to profile her, which went against the number one rule that no one followed.

 

A familiar smell filled her nostrils and she looked up, sniffing the air like a hound searching for a rabbit. Her head turned slowly until her eyes landed on the coffee pot, still steaming. She grinned and pumped an imaginary fist before standing and moving towards it, only stopping to grab a mug.

 

To Emily’s surprise, when she opened the cupboard, pushed far into the back was a familiar blue mug with white letters spelling out ‘FIB’. 

 

It was a misprint, so, with nowhere else to go, it had gotten shoved in with the rest of the mismatched mugs agents brought from home. Emily had only been working here two days when she spotted it and claimed it for herself, Morgan thought it was hilarious along with her, it had been the first time he’d let his guard down around her, the first time she’d let her guard down around him. 

 

She pulled it out and blew into the inside, a good amount of dust rose from it and she coughed and waved it away before running the mug under the sink.

 

“They didn’t throw you out?” Emily half whispered to the mug, half whispered to herself.

 

After what she realized was an awful long time to stare down at an empty coffee mug as if it was the holy grail, Emily moved to the coffee pot and poured herself a mug full to the brim. Unfortunately, that left no room for cream. She shrugged and decided she could use the wake up call straight black coffee would give her and put it to her lips.

 

She would later view that innocent move as one of her worst mistakes. 

 

The coffee had still been steaming and with no cream, pouring it into a mug and waiting approximately three seconds before drinking it didn’t change that. 

 

Her tongue instinctually recoiled, and her mouth along with it. The coffee mugs rim hit her upper lip on the way and tipped a good portion of it onto her brand new  _ white _ blouse. Emily hissed in pain and put the coffee mug down, pulling the front of her shirt forward to keep the hot liquid on it off her skin.

 

She pulled a few paper towels off the roll and desperately tried to wipe down her shirt, which succeeded in nothing but spreading the dark coffee around.

 

“Oh Emily” 

 

Emily looked up with hot ears and red cheeks at Penelope, who stood with her purse in her hand and her eyes wide, “Oh  _ Emily _ ” she repeated.

 

“Ha!” Emily looked down, “I was just- it was really hot-” she stopped and sighed, “Do you think if I wear a jacket it will look like my shirt is creme?”

 

Penelope looked at her sympathetically.

 

“Right” Emily threw the paper towels away with a huff, “So, where’s Hotch?”

 

“He needed to work some things out with Strauss, I’m here for you instead!” Penelope answered giddily.

 

Emily let out a breath of relief and thanked her lucky stars that the person he’d decided to send was Penelope. With her, she’d get off with mild teasing, she couldn’t and wouldn’t say the same for the others. Bonus points because she was the only one who wouldn’t profile her.

 

“Actually… I have an extra shirt if you want to borrow it” Penelope offered, already opening her bag.

 

“Why do you have an extra shirt?”

 

Penelope looked up, “Well, after the hearing I was going to go return it, it didn’t fit right”

 

Emily laughed, “If anyone on the planet could be thinking about clothes at a time like this, it would be you Garcia”

 

“What do you mean” Penelope smiled sweetly as she handed over a small department store bag, “Everything is going to work out, we shouldn’t be worried” 

 

Penelope turned and started walking, Emily guessed she was supposed to follow. She held the bag close to her, shielding the stain from anyone passing. She probably looked like a child, holding her possessions close like someone would steal them.

 

They made it to the elevator with no incidents, on the way down, Emily studied the woman next to her, “Why aren’t you mad at me?”

 

Penelope looked at her like it was obvious, “Because you’re back and you’re safe, duh”

 

No way. That wasn’t how it worked, people didn’t forgive that easy, not even Garcia, “Penelope-”

 

“Really Em, I’m not mad” Penelope interrupted, “Life’s too short to hold grudges and all that”

 

Somewhere in Penelope’s tone and expression Emily sensed a small amount of grief and a larger amount of guilt. The tech analyst was not as innocent and unstained as she led one to believe. Emily reminded herself that she’d been through losing her parents, getting shot and not to mention the stress that went into working with a group of the most reckless idiots in the US government. She looked down at her black flats and decided to drop it for now, “I don’t think the others share the same sentiment’

 

“Oh, give them time. Rossi is only acting weird because he’s cocky and probably thinks he should have guessed before now. Morgan has some emotional scars -he did kind of think you died in his arms- but they’ll heal, they always do. Reid-” she paused, “With Spencer… I don’t think this is about you being dead for six months”

 

“Huh?” Emily wrinkled her eyebrows, “I’m not following”

 

“The poor kiddo has abandonment issues and it’s been a long road” Penelope smiled at her hands, as if remembering some milestone Spencer had overcome, “He’ll figure himself out”

 

Emily mentally slapped herself for not realizing the connection. What kind of profiler was she? Of course her lying would stem back to his father, to Gideon. Hell, he was probably thinking she’d torn a page straight out of Elle Greenaway’s playbook from what she’d been told about her. Leaving without a word, justifying it by saying it was for the good of the team and herself. She wondered if he would blame himself now like he had then.

 

The two were at the black SUV by then, Penelope insisted on driving because apparently if she didn’t then she’d ‘come all this way for nothing’. 

 

They drove in silence until they pulled out of the parking garage, at that point, Emily couldn’t stop herself, “I got your message you know”

 

“Message?” Penelope echoed, eyes focused on the road.

 

Emily nodded, “The one- the one you left after I went after Doyle”

 

Penelope stiffened slightly, her chirpy demeanor faltering for a split second. As quickly as it came it went, not before Emily realized she was more hurt than she was letting on, she tried again,

 

“It meant a lot you know and I still… when I was in Paris I would think about it all the time, it got me through some really rough spots” What she didn’t say was that she had the message permanently saved in a closed file, ironic name considering how often she opened it.

 

Penelope smiled and reached over to rub Emily’s upper arm briefly before swatting it, “Now put on that shirt, we’re almost there”

 

Emily opened the bag and pulled out the shirt, she held it up to Penelope, amusement written on her features, “You’re not serious”

 

“The jury’ll love it” Penelope responded, incapable of keeping the teasing tone out of her voice, “Just don’t spill any coffee on it”

 

Emily scoffed, “I don’t think anyone would notice”

 

Penelope’s smile faded, “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen  _ you  _ angry”

 

“Oh I’ve been angry” Emily ignored the abrupt change of subject as she tugged off her blouse and threw it in the back, promising herself she’d get it later, which, she would probably forget, “Just not at you guys”

 

Penelope stole a glance at her, “Cute bra”

 

“Thanks! It was on sale” Emily watched Penelope’s face as she turned back to the road, “What is it?”

 

Penelope didn’t say anything for a while, finally her emotions gave in, “It’s been hard without you Em”

 

Emily didn’t reply as she pulled the new shirt over her head and thought about what the past few months must’ve been like for her team, especially Penelope. 

 

She wondered if it affected the woman’s usual personality, if she took some of the bright things in her office down or put more up. Emily coped, she’d learned how, but sweet, open, kind Penelope? She didn’t think so.

 

“What happened, what I did. It was for my safety and yours I know but I also know it was me, running away from the biggest skeleton I had in my closet” Emily pulled on the useless ties hanging from her shoulders, “And not telling you or Reid or Morgan or Rossi may have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done-” she stopped.

 

“And yet it was relieving, knowing that we weren’t there to be in danger or to worry about you” Penelope finished for her, uncharacteristically sullen. Her eyes hardened and her voice didn’t falter as she spoke,

 

“Sometimes, when you’re stuck in the dark, it’s easier to let your eyes adjust then to find a light” 

 

For a minute, and she wasn’t sure why, Emily couldn’t breathe. She was -not for the first time- speechless in the face of Penelope Garcia and her infinite understanding, “I think it’s going to take a little while for me to stop being blinded” she admitted, going along with the analogy.

 

Penelope reached over and took her hand, “I know a great place to buy sunglasses”

 

Emily laughed, Penelope joined in but shook her head, “No I’m serious, there’s this really cute little shop like ten minutes from my house, the lady who runs it is so sweet. I bet I could get you a discount”

 

Emily laughed again, harder this time. She wasn’t sure what the tears in her eyes were for. She looked out the window at the approaching court and set her jaw, the ghost of a smile still apparent on her face as made a promise to herself.

 

This  _ would  _ go the way she wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how well written this is, but I needed some adorable Penelope and Emily friendship in my life so it is what it is.


End file.
